Experiences Of Men Research Articles

A qualitative exploration of the lived experiences and perceived impact of a supportive-expressive group therapy on men living with gastrointestinal cancer

Abstract Background: This study seeks to understand the functioning of a gastrointestinal (GI) men-only Supportive-Expressive Group Therapy (SEGT) program over time by exploring (1) men's lived experiences with group process and (2) perceived group impact relevant to supportive/expressive goals. Methods: A convenience sample of patients with GI cancer attending an ongoing, men-only GI cancer SEGT was interviewed at 3 and 6 months from enrollment. A qualitative study design with mixed inductive and framework thematic analysis was used. Open-ended, semistructured interviews directed the exploration of group experiences over time. SEGT goals framed the inquiry toward exploring the perceived impact of the group. Results: Twenty-three men were interviewed at 3 months and 13 men at 6 months of intervention. Men pointed to an overall global satisfaction with group process and subjects discussed. The SEGT model provided a sex sensitive, safe, and mutually supportive outlet for expressing and normalizing participants' feelings and emotions. Three central themes emerged relevant to group experiences: (1) the role of social comparison, (2) the role of supportive-expressive exchanges, and (3) the role of the group format, composition, and facilitation. Feeling heard and validated accelerated a sense of belonging and facilitated emotional disclosure. SEGT contributed to re-evaluation of life values/goals, mitigation of existential anxiety, and mood improvement. Conclusions: Group participants perceived the SEGT as effective in addressing and mitigating emotional and existential concerns. Perceived benefits were consistent with SEGT goals. The findings offer groundwork for developing men-centered cancer support groups that foster emotional exploration and expressive disclosure through validation and acceptance.

From the reproduction of social class to the production of locality: Focusing on the narratives of young working class men in rural Japan

This paper reveals how young working-class men in Japan choose to work after high school instead of going to university. Through fieldwork and retrospective interviews, we interpreted young men's school experiences and career choices. We found that they did not conform to school norms but based their prospects on informal relationships outside school and the information available. This reality was lived and talked about as a process of acquiring the senses and social techniques necessary to live locally. These young peoples’ experiences and choices have traditionally been understood as a reproduction of social classes. In the context of their narratives, however, it is a process of becoming familiar with local sensibilities and social techniques, in other words, a process of producing locality. This raises new debates on class reproduction.

Existential isolation and psychological distress during COVID-19: The role of loneliness and resilient coping in Canadian help-seeking men

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on men's lives. Investigating specific constructs and pathways related to men's mental health outcomes may help to more fully understand the short and long-term impact of the pandemic and illuminate opportunities to better promote men's mental health. In this study, we assessed the mediating effect of loneliness on the relationship between existential isolation and psychological distress, and the moderating effect of resilient coping on that relationship. MethodsThis cross-sectional study included a sample of help-seeking Canadian men in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 434). Participants completed measures of existential isolation, loneliness, resilient coping, and psychological distress. A moderated mediation analysis was conducted. ResultsOver half (54 %) of the participants reported psychological distress in a clinical range. Findings indicated that loneliness was a significant mediator in the association between existential isolation and psychological distress. Furthermore, findings revealed that resilient coping moderated the relationship between loneliness and psychological distress, such that men who were low on resilient coping experienced the greatest effect on psychological distress. LimitationsThe employed mediation analyses were cross-sectional in nature, limiting any firm conclusions regarding causality. ConclusionsEfforts to reduce psychological distress may be targeted at decreasing men's experiences of existential isolation or improving resilient coping. Consideration should be given to contextual factors related to COVID-19 as well as men's preferences for help-seeking and mental health support.

Profiles of Childhood Victimization as Predictors of Sexual Aggression and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration.

The study utilized a latent profile analysis to evaluate distinct combinations of men's childhood victimization experiences and their communal predictive ability for sexual aggression (SA) and intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. Men living in the United States (N = 399) completed assessments of emotional, physical, and sexual childhood victimization, as well as SA and IPV toward women. The results indicated that members of profiles characterized by moderate to high frequencies of childhood victimization-especially sexual victimization-were at increased risk of SA and IPV perpetration. Contrary to expectations, adult- versus peer-perpetrated victimization did not appear to substantially alter risk of perpetration.

Undergoing radical treatment for prostate cancer and its impact on wellbeing: A qualitative study exploring men's experiences.

Quality of life in prostate cancer survivorship is becoming increasingly important, with mental and social wellbeing recognised as key components. However, limited global evaluation of psychosocial challenges experienced after treatment exists. Therefore, we aimed to explore the lived experiences of men who underwent radical treatment, and its psychosocial impact. This qualitative study was conducted using 19 men who had undergone radical treatment (prostatectomy or radiotherapy) for their cancer. Semi-structured interviews were conducted exploring lived experiences of men after treatment. A Structured thematic analysis of collected data was undertaken, with an inductive co-construction of themes through the lens of the biopsychosocial model. Themes generated were considered within a psychological, social, and physical wellbeing framework. An initial knowledge gap meant mental wellbeing was strongly impacted initially leading to a 'Diagnostic Blow and the Search for Clarity'. Doubt over individuals' future resulted in 'An Uncertain Future' in many men. Once treatment was completed a 'Reflective journey' began, with men considering their outcomes and decisions made. Social wellbeing was also impacted with many identifying the 'Emotional Repercussions' on their relationships and the impact their diagnosis had on their partner and family. Many subsequently sought to increase their support through 'The Social Network and Advocacy', while physical changes led to an increased need for 'Social Planning'. Finally, physical wellbeing was highlighted by a continual acknowledgement of the 'Natural process of ageing' leading to a reluctancy to seek help, whilst simultaneously attempting to improve existing health via 'The Health Kick'. Radical treatments have a considerable impact on mental and social wellbeing of individuals. Anxiety after diagnosis and significant uncertainty over individual futures exist, with physical complications of treatment leading to social repercussions. Future research should aim to identify forms of support to improve quality of life of these men.

Boys don't cry: Urgent call for alternative approaches in exploring Indonesian men's experience in romantic relationship

Academic discourses around interpersonal relationship in the patriarchal culture tends to assume men in the superior position, hence their unique experience is considered less significant to be investigated. As a result, what we know about men’s experience and expectation in a romantic relationship is only as far as what their gender stereotype subscribes; that relationship is only for sex, status and power exercise, and social symbol. In the present editorial note, I emphasize the urgency to utilize an alternative approach in exploring unique experience of Indonesian men in romance; such insight would be valuable to improve the quality of interpersonal relationship through culturally-informed perspective.

"Opening up a well of emotions": A qualitative study of men's emotional experiences in the transition to fatherhood.

To explore the emotional changes and reactions men experience in their transition to fatherhood. This study used a qualitative design. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 13 Norwegian fathers. Through thematic analysis, three main themes were developed: (1) from self-focus to family perspective; (2) emotional vulnerability; and (3) from insecurity to self-assurance. The themes describe fathers' emotional process during the child's first year of life, ranging from positive feelings like affection and mastery, to challenging feelings like exclusion, jealousy and exhaustion. Many fathers describe taboos and shame over their own emotional reactions, although these can be considered a natural part of the postnatal period.

Exploring male childhood sexual abuse survivors' experiences of specialist counselling services

AbstractGlobal estimates suggest 5% to 10% of men report experience of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). However, male CSA is significantly underreported, with men being reluctant to disclose due to vulnerability, stigmatisation, homophobic responses and fearing a loss of masculinity. A lack of research and service provision targeted towards men suggests male survivors of CSA are marginalised. This qualitative study, using a narrative approach, focussed on four adult male survivors of CSA. The aim of the study was to explore their experiences of engaging in counselling and support services for CSA from nonstatutory and voluntary organisations. Face‐to‐face narrative interviews were audio‐recorded and transcribed verbatim. Analysis was undertaken using a two‐phase approach; first, each narrative was analysed as a whole; second, an across‐transcripts analysis was carried out to identify shared themes and divergences that emerged from the individual stories. In this paper, findings from the second phase of the analysis are presented. Three themes regarding male survivors' experiences of specialist counselling services were identified: “Trust Me, I'm a Doctor,” “Trust me, I'm a Counsellor” and “Counsellor or Mother?” This is the first academic study focussing specifically on men's experience of support for CSA in the UK from a service user perspective. Making an original contribution to the knowledge base regarding counselling experiences and the effectiveness of therapy for male CSA survivors, it will help to inform professional counselling services which are likely to come into contact with male survivors of CSA.

Cultural consonance, body image, and disordered eating among young South Korean men

Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses, but little research explores non-Western men's cultural experiences of body image and what affects their risks of disordered eating. Drawing on data collected over 17 months (August 2019 to January 2021) of fieldwork in Seoul, South Korea, the lens of intersectionality is employed alongside multiple regression and moderation analysis to understand how two axes of identity which emerged as important from the ethnography—sexual identity and university prestige—shape the ways in which young Korean men's cultural consonance with their local model of the ideal male body, influenced heavily by the kkonminam (flower boy), relates to risk for developing an eating disorder. Among young Korean men, intersections of university prestige and sexual identity frame embodiment of cultural models of male body image as a strategy for the making and maintenance of social relations and the advancement of social status in a precarious neoliberal economy.

Case Report On Cirrhosis Of Liver

Introduction: - The liver is irrevocably damaged and replaced with scar tissue as a result of the late-stage liver disease cirrhosis. Scar tissue prevents your liver from functioning properly. Cirrhosis typically develops decades after the onset of chronic liver disease. Men experience it twice as frequently as women. Clinical Findings:-Weakness, loss of appetite, easy bruising, skin yellowing (jaundice), itching, and weariness are all symptoms of cirrhosis. Diagnostic Evaluation: -Blood test: - HB % = 9.3gm%, total RBC count = 2. 99cu.mm, total WBC count = 11800cu.mm, total platelet count = 1.23 lac cu.mm, total protein = 6.5g/L, total bilirubin = 15.8g/L, lymphocytes = 10%, monocytes = 0.2%, albumin =2.2. Peripheral Smear: - RBCs - Normocytic mildly hypochromic Platelets - Reduced on smear APC - 38000 cells/mm³ as per cell counter no Haem parasite seen. Ultrasonography:- Options include liver needle biopsy, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). an innovative imaging technique called electrography. Therapeutic Intervention: - Inj. Albumin 20% × OD, Inj. Vitamin K 10mg ×OD, Inj. Optineuron ×OD, Inj. Pan 40mg × OD, Inj. Emset 4mg × SOS, Inj. Levoflox 500mg × OD.
 Outcome: - After treatment the patient show
 Improvement. His appetite is improved and skin condition is also improved and his Weakness is reduced.
 Conclusion:- With a known case of liver cirrhosis, the patient was admitted to the hospital with complaints of weakness, loss of appetite, easy bruising, jaundice, itching, and weariness. His condition improved after receiving the proper care.

A Newly Developed Scale for Assessing Experienced and Anticipated Sexual Stigma in Health-Care Services for Gay and Bisexual Men.

Gay and bisexual men's experiences and worries of sexual stigma by health-care providers may delay them from seeking health-care assistance. Our study developed the Experienced and Anticipated Sexual Stigma Scale in Health-care Services (EASSSiHS) and examined its psychometric properties. The six-item EASSSiHS was first developed on the basis of the results of focus group interviews with 24 participants. Parallel analysis was used to determine the number of factors. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to examine the factor structure. The internal consistency was examined using McDonald's omega coefficient. Concurrent validity was examined using Pearson correlations with perceived sexual stigma from family and friends, depression, anxiety, and loneliness. The results of parallel analysis and EFA indicated that the factor structure of the EASSSiHS included two factors: experienced stigma and anticipated stigma. The result of CFA further confirmed the two-factor structure. The EASSSiHS had good internal consistency and acceptable concurrent validity. The anticipated stigma factor had stronger associations with perceived sexual stigma from family members and friends, depression, anxiety, and loneliness, when compared with the experienced stigma factor. The results of this study supported the psychometric properties of the EASSSiHS for assessing experienced and anticipated sexual stigma in health-care services among gay and bisexual men. The experience and worry of sexual stigma in health-care services were not rare among gay and bisexual men; therefore, interventions to enhance the cultural competency of health-care workers are urgently required.

Breaking the Silence: Men's Experience of Miscarriage. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

This study explored men's experience of miscarriage. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten men with personal experience of miscarriage, analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Three superordinate themes emerged: ‘This is happening…we’re pregnant!’ captures how men were invested in the pregnancy from either preconception or conception; ‘Left with empty arms, what now?’ uncovers what happened during and following miscarriage; and ‘men feel the loss too, you know’ demonstrates how men crave recognition and appreciation of the loss. Insights are given into the impact that miscarriage has on men and the planning of their families thereafter. We hope the findings enhance health professionals’ understanding of men and miscarriage and assist in challenging both the taboo nature of the topic and outdated, unhelpful stereotypes. Recommendations for future research are provided.

Perceptions and Experiences of Males who have Sex with Men Regarding Sexual and Reproductive Health Services in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

Background: Sexual and Reproductive Health services are a cornerstone for each nation to achieve Sustainable Development Goal Number 3, which challenges nations to ensure healthy lives and promote the well-being of all ages, including access to SRH services. Generally, stigma and policies against men who have sex with men have heightened the risk of getting and spreading sexually transmitted diseases in this key population. This study, therefore, sought to explore men who have sex with men's perceptions and experiences of sexual and reproductive health services offered in Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. Methods: An exploratory, descriptive qualitative study was conducted on twenty-four (24) purposively selected men who had sex with men identified through Sexual Rights Centre in Bulawayo. The study participants responded to unstructured interview questions that probed on their lived experiences and perceptions of sexual and reproductive health services offered by health facilities in the city of Bulawayo. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded, and thematically analyzed on MAXQDA Version 20 Pro. Results: Findings suggested that men who had sex with men sought a wider range of sexual and reproductive health services that ranged from voluntary counseling and testing, treatment of sexually transmitted infections, and obtaining pre-exposure prophylaxis tablets, among other issues. However, men who had sex with men faced discrimination, stigma, and hostile treatment by some health service providers. This scenario, in some instances, is perceived to have fueled their vulnerability and led to internalized homophobia. Conclusion: In pursuit of Sustainable Development Goal Number 3, which challenges all nations to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being at all ages, men who have sex with men are not fully accorded their rights. Therefore, there is a need to reorient health services and align policies to ensure the inclusion of this key population in accessing and utilizing sexual and reproductive health services.

Black Theology and Insights from African Women's Theologies

AbstractThe rise in the public visibility of anti‐Black racism and intra‐Black xenophobia and racism has created a renewed thirst for responses that are unashamedly “Black centred” across disciplines and spheres. Can “Black theology” capitalize on this renewed thirst to recalibrate itself into a relevant response with the potential to impact lives outside of its traditional contexts of the US and South Africa? Using feminist methodologies, this article seeks to investigate the relationship between Black theology in Africa and African women’s theologies. Framed within similar concerns as feminist theologies, African women's theologies are also characterized by a commitment to prioritize women's experiences where traditionally, only men's experiences have been valued and prioritized. From this methodological approach, two critical questions will be brought to the fore: Where are the women in Black theology? What would Black theology look like if it considered gender a critical variable for theologizing? This article puts forward the following assertions: First, that Black theology in Africa has mainly been South African and failed to make its mark north of Limpopo due to its commitment to dismantle the political system of apartheid. Second, that Black theology in South Africa did not privilege gender as a variable worthy of pursuing because it focused more on what undermined the (South) African man. Third, that within Black theology lies the largely untapped potential to address not only growing waves of anti‐Black racism, but also, using an intentional intersectionality lens, to privilege gender, disability, and ethnicity in its purview.

In the trenches: just trying to make it as black men in early career faculty roles

At all levels of education, deficit models and negative narratives about Black men prevail. For many Black men, negative messages, associated feelings of isolation, and inherent racism perpetrated by faculty, students, and administrators contributed to their long-term experience of racial microaggressions throughout their educational journeys, including faculty careers. This study explores how Black men in early career faculty roles have navigated the academia in this study. Interviews seven early career faculty reaffirm the well-documented difficulties associated with racism, marginalization, and solitude in the academy. Their counternarratives demonstrate the systemic racism in Black men's socialization experiences as early career faculty. Recommendations are made to improve the inclusiveness, responsiveness, and transformative nature of academic environments for Black men serving as early career faculty.

In control, out of control or losing control? Making sense of men's reported experiences of coercive control through the lens of hegemonic masculinity

“I have never had a case that involved a female perpetrator of coercive control, and no such cases are documented in the literature” (Stark, 2007, p. 377). Stark's observation has become somewhat of a “truism” in the wider debate surrounding coercive control. Yet simultaneously coercive control is asserted as a gendered process, understandings of which appear to have elided and conflated victimhood and perpetration with femininity and masculinity. The purpose of this paper, based on empirical data, is to unpick some of these elisions and conflations and offer a more nuanced understanding of these debates using the lens of hegemonic masculinity. This paper is based on data derived from a national online survey conducted in Australia in 2021. The aim of this paper is to explore, and better understand male reported experiences of coercive control victimisation. The survey was completed by 1261 people, 206 (17%) of whom identified as men. These 206 responses are the focus of this paper. Representing one of the most comprehensive studies of men's self-reported experiences of coercive control, this survey data provides some insight into how male victim-survivors define and understand what they considered to be their experiences of coercive control. The findings provide an opportunity to offer a more nuanced appreciation of men's experiences of being in control, out of control or losing control.

African-American Males and Psychological Safety in Workplaces and Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

Psychological safety is crucial for positive community and workplace cultures, especially for workers of diverse communities, including African Americans, in periods of crisis. This qualitative study examined Black men's lived experiences with psychological safety in their communities and workplaces relative to the recent environment of biological and social pandemics. The study confirmed some collective phenomena, particularly exhibiting the need for managers to understand, respect, and value that Black male employees' specific experiences are different in ways that often do not allow them to divorce themselves from their experiences with racism stereotypes and racial profiling when they enter the workplace.

Symptoms and health experience in irritable bowel syndrome with focus on men.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder with a predominance in women; IBS in men is less studied. The present study evaluated symptoms as well as health and social experiences of men with IBS. This cross-sectional study included 293 patients with IBS (64 men) and 363 non-IBS controls (62 men). Gastrointestinal symptom diaries were filled in prospectively, and data on comorbidities and healthcare-seeking behavior were assessed by questionnaires. Men with IBS were compared with men without IBS and women with IBS. Compared with women with IBS, men with IBS had fewer contacts with the healthcare system, fewer psychiatric comorbidities, fewer sleeping problems, and less chronic pain. Urgency to defecate and nausea were less common, and stool frequency was higher in men with IBS. There was no difference between men with and without IBS in terms of educational level, satisfaction with household economy, or living with a partner. In contrast, women with IBS more often lived alone, were more often dissatisfied with household economy, and had a lower educational level than women without IBS. Men with IBS had the same proportion of full-time employment as men without IBS but in contrast, the proportion of women with IBS in full-time employment was only 34%, compared to 50% of the women without IBS. The present study improves the understanding of men's experiences of IBS and suggests that sex and gender may be integrated into the biopsychosocial model of IBS.

Transgender men in tourism: marginalisation, constraints and inclusion opportunities

ABSTRACT Transgender people experience intersecting forms of social marginalisation in different spheres of their lives. Both structural and interpersonal difficulties limit transgender individuals’ opportunities for positive experiences that increase their health and well-being, such as tourism activities. The scarce research on the transgender population's tourism experiences has not focused exclusively on transgender men's experiences. Informed by an intersectional stigma perspective, this study sought to explore these men's perspective on tourism in two Latin American countries. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a sample of transgender males, which revealed that, due to structural and interpersonal constraints, these men tend to experience stigmatisation, discrimination, exclusion and heightened anxiety, fear and risk while travelling. However, tourism also provides transgender men with opportunities to construct their gender identity and perform selected aspects of their masculinity. Specific practical recommendations are offered to promote the creation of equitable, dignified tourism environments that reduce these men's experiences of stigmatisation during leisure trips.

Iranian Men's Sexual Life Issues After Their Wives' Burn: A Qualitative Content Analysis Study.

Physical and psychological complications of burn injuries reduce the victims' sexual quality of life and challenge their partners' sexual satisfaction. There is no information about men's sexual issues and behaviors. Previous studies did not address the impact of women's burns on their husbands' sexual lives. Therefore, this qualitative study aimed to characterize the sexual experiences of Iranian men after their wives' burns. The study was performed on 16 men with surviving spouses of major burn using criterion-based purposive sampling. Semistructured interviews were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis approach. The results showed men's sexual issues with three main themes and eight subthemes: 1) sexual desire restrictors (annoying scars, imposing roles, and wives' sexual coldness), 2) degradation of marital sex (reduced frequency of sexual intercourses, temptation of extramarital affairs), and 3) effort to maintain sex (sexual self-sacrifice, sexual pretending, sexual precautions). According to men's experiences, female sexual coldness, temptation for extramarital affairs, and sexual pretense were related to couples' poor knowledge of sexual discourse. Thus, health professionals can use context-oriented educational program to promote the couples' sexual knowledge and health after burns.